Snippet #2756833

Kezia was all too happy to oblige her sister, and followed without hesitation. For a moment, she had half a mind to glance back towards her betrothed, but the thought passed as quickly as it came. Besds, sh was ather curious to see the accommodations they had been provided with. Furthermore, she didn't have any intention of letting anyone besides her sister know what was going on in her mind.

The younger countess didn't notice the maid until she was pointed out by Sera, too occupied with various paintings along the way (as well as the general decor). The servants certainly did seem attentive here, and she was about to say as much when the current object of discussion nearly lost her composure. Not as experienced a servant then. Kezia tilted her head slightly, watching the apparently newly unsupervised maid timidly reply. Poor thing seemed a bit anxious. Probably a good thing she wasn't in charrge of delicates or dishes.

Kezia turned to her sister, this time with a slight pout upon her lips. She loved Sera dearly, but sometimes (such as right now), she almost felt as though she were being treated like a child. It was tolerable when father did it. When Sera spoke in a way that woounded her pride, it irked her a lot more. She didn't need to be told to come like a lost puppy or a wandering toddler! It was hard to remind herself that Sera (most likely) dd not mean her words to sound as such. Even so, it didn't make the pout fully vanish.

Thankfully, they reached the main bedchambers in the south wing before she could contemplate fussing about the unintended insult. Letting out a sof 'oh', the younger countess scanned the room before her in slight awe. This mercenary did come from wealthy blood it seemed. The castle was lavish indeed, and admittedly far cozier than ther own estates. If this was an Earl's castle, how extravagant and grand was the prince's palace? While Kezia and her sister had been spoiled by their own family, this was beyond even her standards. "It's even nicer than father's chambers..." she mused

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About twenty minutes had passed since the guests' arrival, and all manner of smels wafted from the kitchens as servants set the dining room to perfection. One gave the silverware and the glasses one last shine, one arranged a vase of fresh flowers from the castle gardens, and another adjusted the linens ever so slightly, checking for wrinkles.

In the kitchen, platters were being arranged in the order they would go out (with almost finished items waiting and still not yet done, ensuring they were delivered as fresh as possible) There was a bisque, fresh baked bread, a salad, roast boar an quail eggs. There was stuffed squash, herbed potatoes annd a rich gravy. Fruit tarts and a mousse were in he making for dessert.

At last, one of the manservants approached Robin with a bow, smiling behind a slight mop of brown hair that he could never seem to tame. "Dinner is about to be served, my lord. Shall I fetch the guests, or would you and his highness prefer to escort your brides to be?" Gavin asked, perfectly fine with watever the master decided. After all, he much preffered the new Earl to his shameless and womanizing late father. He had yet to say as much, not wanting to be seen as a suck up. He may have been passed over for the position as butler by the late earl, but that didn't mean he wanted to gain it for anything less than his work and his honor.